Mary Maranville, founder of Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) has been named its chief executive officer. Formally, Maranville was SEEAG’s executive director. The SEEAG board voted on the new title at its June board meeting.

Maranville founded SEEAG in 2008 to help students, families and the public learn and appreciate the origins of their food. SEEAG bridges the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming and its annual Ventura County Farm Day. Since SEEAG began, it has helped over 20,000elementary school students from throughout Southern California increase their understanding of the food journey.

“Mary started SEEAG with an incredible vision and has been the one pushing SEEAG to become what it is today. It’s only fitting that she be its CEO,” says Monica Houweling, a SEEAG board member. “Every time I see Mary, she is always sharing a story on how children are learning something new about the food that feeds them. Mary and SEEAG are doing amazing things to help future generations understand the importance of agriculture.”

This year, the annual Ventura County Farm Day will be held November 4. On Farm Day, over 25 local farms open their doors and invite the public to experience a day of agricultural learning firsthand. This free, popular event connects the community with its farming neighbors. More than 6,000 people visited farms last year on Farm Day.

Maranville also co-founded Veteran Farmers of America (VFA), which places veterans in paid, two-week internship programs with local farms. VFA has placed over 30 veterans in agricultural internships. Many veterans who take part in the internships are offered fulltime positions in agriculture.For more information about SEEAG programs and events, visit www.seeag.org.

After 15 years in Los Angeles, Bluestar Funding has moved to Oxnard. Now known as “The Mortgage Guy”, founder and CEO Chris is proud to be doing mortgage loans in Oxnard, Ventura and Camarillo, including purchase, refinance and reverse mortgages.

Chris and his wife Kim had a goal to move to Oxnard once their two boys were in college. With the boys now attending Pepperdine and living in Malibu, the couple took the leap and moved to the marina where they watch the boats go by and it reminds them every day, that they love this life.

Chris is in the mortgage lending business, and likes numbers, problem solving and meeting new people. Anyone in the real estate business knows that sometimes a home loan is at the mercy of an underwriter. With his broker experience, previous banking, and Wall Street work he can prevent loan conditions before underwriting and help underwriters with the rules. This makes for a better experience for the client and the real estate agents.

The business question he is asked the most is, “what is your best interest rate”? A loan is much more than a rate. On a purchase transaction there are multiple parties in a home loan transaction, different costs and many deadlines. Everything has to come together and on time. They work smart and hard on a purchase or refinance loans and they make mortgages easy.

If you are cruising the main channel, wave to them. They are the boat with the big blue letters on the back that says BLUESTAR! For more information call 805.979.9036 or visit the website at www.callthemortgageguy.com.

Gaea Verneris is an Edward Jones financial advisor in Oxnard. Her branch office is located at 2901 N. Ventura Road, Suite 280.

“I entered the financial services industry because I like helping people work toward achieving their long-term financial goals,” Gaea says. “Building relationships with my clients and in my community is key.”

“And we do so by offering excellent client service through our convenient branch locations in the communities where our clients live and work” says Gaea.

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company, provides financial services for individual investors in the United Stated and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm’s 15,000 plus financial advisors work directly with more than 7 million clients. Edward Jones, which ranked No. 5 on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2017, is headquartered in St. Louis.

The Edward Jones website is located at www.edwardjones.com, and for information call 805.278.6711

The St. John’s Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic department of St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital (SJPVH) in Camarillo and St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in Oxnard, is pleased to announce it raised more than $400,000 at its seventh “Adventure” fundraising gala held May 6th, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. All proceeds will fund expansion and modernization projects at SJPVH and SJRMC.

More than 600 community members attended the event which featured live and silent auctions, farm-to-table cuisine from renowned two-time James Beard award winning chef Bradley Ogden, and the honoring celebration of longtime community leaders and dedicated philanthropists Tom and Barbara Laubacher and Dr. Henry and Emma Montes who were recognized as recipients of the Catherine McAuley Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Catherine McAuley Lifetime Achievement Award pays tribute to members of the community for their contributions and volunteerism, commitment to society, and support of the charisma and values exemplified by Catherine McAuley. Mother Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. She tirelessly gave of her time, talents, and sizable inheritance to those suffering from poverty, illness, and a lack of education.

Tom and Barbara Laubacher and Dr. Henry and Emma Montes have made lasting contributions to our community through “works of mercy,” sharing their time, talents, and resources and inspiring others to follow in their example.

The St. John’s Healthcare Foundation was established in 1985 to provide philanthropic support for building projects, equipment, and patient care services at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. For more information about supporting SJRMC or SJPVH please call (805) 988-2868.

Tony's Body Shop has been officially Certified by Assured Performance, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization for maintaining the right tools, equipment, training, and facility necessary to repair the participating Automaker brand vehicles according to the manufacturer's specifications. In achieving their Certification, Tony's Body Shop is now an integral part of the most advanced repair capable and efficient auto body repair network in the world. Adding to their credentials, Tony's Body Shop is officially recognized by Assured Performance, FCA, GM, Nissan, Hyundai, Infiniti, and Ford.

To become Certified and officially recognized by the various Automakers, Tony's Body Shop passed the rigorous Certification process essential to help ensure a proper and safe repair of the new generation of advanced vehicles. Less than 5 percent of body shops across the nation are able to meet the stringent requirements to become officially Certified and recognized. The Certified network is made up exclusively of best-in-class collision repair businesses that have met or exceeded the stringent requirements of the Certification program.

According to Tony's Body Shop Owner, Jay Flores, "When an accident happens, it can be hard to know who to trust with your vehicle. Certification through Assured Performance is important to help give the people of our community peace of mind."

The Certification criteria is based upon auto manufacturer requirements. These are critical to ensure the vehicle fit, finish, durability, value and safety following an accident. As new model vehicles are being introduced that use light weight high strength materials and advanced technology, a proper repair according to manufacturer specification is even more important than ever to ensure the passenger safety and proper performance of the vehicle. Auto manufacturers want to ensure that consumers have the option of Certified Collision Repair wherever they live, work, or travel.

"Consumers need the confidence and peace of mind to know their vehicle is repaired by a shop that has what it takes to ensure the vehicle safety. Tony's Body Shop is officially a Collision Care Provider™," said Scott Biggs, CEO of Assured Performance Collision Care™. "They represent the standard by which all other body shops are measured."

About Assured Performance Collision Care™: Assured Performance Collision Care™ is a non-profit consumer advocacy organization specializing in the automotive collision repair market segment. Assured Performance works with the top automakers to identify, audit and promote collision repair providers that meet best-in-class business standards and the manufacturer's requirements. Consumers can go to: www.assuredperformance.net or www.autobodylocator.com to find a list of Collision Repair Providers.